A bit of disappointed knitting

Yes, it is actually possible for me to get disappointed over something craft related. Something I thought would be really cool, and then it was just ‘meh’…

A couple of days ago I was very exited to see that PlanetJune has taken up knitting. There were some vague hints of it some time last year, when she asked on her Facebook page how we’d like it if she designed some knitting patterns. I was ecstatic, as everything the lady does is awesome And sure enough, when she posted about her first ever knitting project this week, the result was very good, and I was quite jealous.

Because, you see, she’d done something that I can’t: knit small things in the round. She posted the link to a tutorial on how to knit with a really long circular needle and using the magic loop method, and of course I was eager to give it a try. Maybe it would work for me as well, so I can finally knit my own socks and wrist warmers…

For this method you need circulars with a pretty flexible cable, which I didn’t have, so off I went and got a set of KnitPro (KnitPicks to you in the US) with a screw-on cable. And while I was there, I got two more sizes of needles. I got the acrylic ones because I love the DPNs that I have, and they’re so colorful and festive But guess what, the colors aren’t the same! All the sizes have a different color, and I just assumed that the circulars would follow the same code, but they don’t. The two smaller sizes are the same, but the 4.5mm needles are green, and they are supposed to be yellow. Weird.

Anyway. To the disappointment. There are two things, really. One, is that the joins on the needles snag the yarn a bit. Both between the cable and the needle, and between the metal and the plastic of the needle. So that’s a boo.

The other reason is that because of the method used (as you can see if you watch the video), the last stitches on every needle become super tight, because cable is so much thinner than the needle, and you end up pulling the stitches tight whether you mean to or not. And then when it's time to switch sides, it's really hard to slide the row of stitches onto the other needle because of those last stitches.

See what I mean? That last stitch is tiny! That could be why it snags so badly, but I don’t know. I guess it doesn’t help that my knitting is super tight in general. So, I thought that I would finally be rid of those stupid gaps between the needles (ladders, I’ve seen them called), but nope. They are still there, despite the tight stitches. But at least now there are only to, instead of three or four Oh, and another plus with this method is that I can hold the knitting closer to my face without fear of poking my eyes out! Heh.

Oh well. I’m going back to my Easter crochet project now. I was just so anxious to test my new needles when they arrived today. I hope to have the project done before next week, so stay tuned

Two new Bugs

In early January I promised that I would finish some of the patterns I’d been working on for ages, and I’m happy to say that I did! I have two new Great Big Bugs to show you

(Actually, the patterns have been done for a while now, but I never got around to posting about them. Ahem. Shame on me, bad blogger…)

First, I finished the pattern for this Great Big Crane fly. She seriously has the longest legs I’ve ever seen, and definitely the longest bug legs I’ve made!

Personally I don’t like crane flies much, they remind me too much of spiders. Flying spiders! This crocheted one came out a total cutie, though, but in case she still freaks you out a little, here’s a little trick for incapacitating it:

See? Completely harmless

The second pattern I completed was the male firefly, the mate for the first firefly I did years ago. Finally they can be together

Last summer I got a new camera that can take proper photos in the dark, so I actually got some pretty good pictures of the firefly glowing. The glowing parts that you see are its bum and eyes:

And while I was at it, I took new pictures of the female firefly and updated the old pattern with better glow photos. Here’s a picture of the two glowing together:

Aww!

Kitty Princess II

It’s taken me quite a while to get around this post (and the next one I’ve planned). Partly because I don’t like to post on Blogger anymore (the editor is too fiddly) and partly because I’ve been extremely busy with school this semester – even more than I thought I’d be. Anyway, you’ve all seen this before, in my crafty summary of last year, but I thought I should make a separate post about it anyway
So here she is, the new and improved Kitty Princess!

There are not many changes to the pattern itself, we’re only talking about an added round to the neck and tail, but the written instructions and the layout is all new. More pictures! I’ve wanted to remake this for a long time, and last fall I finally did it. Made in thicker yarn this time – the same kind I use for my Dudes – which is a lot more comfortable for me to work with. It also means she’s a lot bigger than the first version. And fresh colors, as you can see

The pattern is updated with the new file on Ravelry, and I’ve relisted it with new pictures on Etsy. It was on Etsy in the beginning, but I let it stay expired for a long time because it didn’t sell. But now it’s all better

Moving the blog

Yes, that's right. I've decided to move this blog. Well, not exactly, because this will still be here, but from now on I consider my main craft blog to be my new one over at WordPress. Had some trouble with Blogger last night (long story short: Blogger ruined a rather long blog post, I got angry and decided I don't like Blogger anymore), so I imported all my posts from this blog into a new one. You can find it HERE :)

If you don't like WordPress for some reason, don't worry! I'll probably be double-posting for a long time, although I'll post on my new blog first, just to make sure I have a backup in case Blogger flips out again. Heh.

I have moved two of my other blogs as well, Bollan's blog and my tatting blog. The old ones will remain, just like this one, but I'm not sure how much they will be updated from now on. To be honest I prefer to post on WordPress, both because it's simply easier and because it works better on my phone.

So, I hope to see some of you over there :D